What Is Your Career Lens: Scarcity Or Abundance?

Do you frequently have moments of fear that you might not get the "reward" or the promotion, or the position, or the assignment, or the referrals, or the patients, or the funding, or the career growth you want? If you answered yes, and if you believe you are "just as qualified" as the other guy, it is possible that your "fear of lack" is actually limiting your opportunities to expand your professional and business life. nnIn my work coaching physicians, I often find that a common "personal bias" that holds some of them back from growing and transforming their career is that they view their world view from a lens of scarcity. [And p.s. this attitude is one that held me back for many years, and still sometimes rears its head to slow me down.nnA Lens of Scarcity Can Sabotage Your ProgressnnWhen you view the world as if there is not enough to go around and you might not get your share, here is what you might experience:nn 1) One physician, "D. B", was so fearful that his full medical practice would drop off when another physician in the same specialty came into town that he became sullen to the point of wanting to leave medicine altogether. He even became distrustful of his staff, wondering if they were going to divert overflow patients to the other doctor. nn It wasn't until the other physician approached him repeatedly about sharing call and adding additional services they could promote together that Dr. B started seeing the world through a lens of abundance. There was plenty of work to go around and the growth opportunities were actually greater when he enlarged his circle to include more team members. nn 2) "Dr. H" had been a regional medical director for several years and had seen a couple of peers get ahead with "plum" assignments that put them in the inner circle with the CEO and executive team. He was given different assignments which he labeled as "consolation prizes." He started hoarding information and was reluctant to share his insights and ideas with his professional peers for fear they would get further ahead and he would not. nn Through his lens of scarcity, when someone advanced in their career, it automatically meant that he took a step backward. The sad fact was his attitude of scarcity was actually signaling to others that he was "closed" to new ideas and projects.nn Once he assessed his true strengths, however, and learned how to use his accomplishments to position himself more strategically, he was able to relax and be more forthcoming and cooperative. He received more "plum" assignments and was eventually promoted. Looking back he realized that there was an abundance of plum assignments to go around. nn nnHow to Develop an "Abundance" Frame of Mind nnIf you want to expand your possibilities and grow your career, an important early step is to shift your thinking away from scarcity and toward abundance. There IS something out there for you, your vision WILL come true AND it will happen quicker once you stop seeing other people's success as a hindrance to your own, and especially once you stop making your peers the "culprit" in your drama of scarcity. nnHere are two essential strategies to developing a mindset of Abundance: nn 1.nn Know your own strengths and unique talents. These are yours and nobody is going to take them away from you. The more you thoroughly understand and develop your strengths the more you can rely on them to power your career. Don't try to be "the other guy" just because you think that's the only way to get ahead. nn 2.nn Position yourself for recognition. You position yourself for recognition not by "hoping" for it. Rather, you build a portfolio of accomplishments and set yourself up for more achievements, AND you get input and feedback every step of the way from your supervisor, trusted mentor and supportive allies within and outside your organization. The more you open yourself up for BOTH the achievements AND the guidance, well. . . . the more abundance comes your way. nnWhere Are You on the Abundance Meter?nn Just in case you don't know where you are on the Scarcity - Abundance meter, for the next week ask yourself these two questions:nn *nn Am I fearful about my own career when I see others progress more quickly?n *nn Am I reluctant to share information in my organization with peers or supervisors? nnYour action plan is to help you honestly assess your "lens" on the world. If you answered "yes" to those questions during the course of the week, there is a good chance your scarcity mentality is holding you back from the true career success you want. It's time to make a mind shift to "abundance"! nn